Folding car-steps.



E. w. LEWIS, G. w. WRIGHT & e. FRANCIS. FOLDING GAB. STEPS.

AIPPLIUATIONRILED DEC. I. 1910.

, 996 594. Patented June 27,1911.

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EDWARD W. LEWIS, GEORGE W. WRIGHT, AND GEORGE FRANCIS, OF LOS ANGIE-LES,

CALIFORNIA.

FOLDING GAR-STEPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD WV. LEwIs and GEORGE 1V. WRIGHT, bothcitizens of the United States, and GEORGE FRANCIS, a subject of the Kingof Great Britain, who has declared his intention of becoming a citizenof the United States, Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles andState of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement inFolding Car-Steps, of which the following is a specification. V

This invention relates to car steps. of that particular type in whichthe tread of the step may be moved into folded position when not in use,and one of the main objects of the invention is to so construct the carsteps that they may be folded within the line of the side of the car,thereby doing away with the objectionable feature of having projectionsextending outwardly from the side of the car, and at the same timeproviding a greater clearance between cars when passing on curves orwhere double tracks are in close proximity.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the foldingsteps are operated in conjunction with the closing of a gate and theraising and lowering of the steps operated simultaneously therewith.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the characterdescribed of simple operation and economical construction.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter from the followingdescription.

Referring to the drawings which are for illustrative purposes only:Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a car equipped with foldingsteps, showing an embodiment of our invention, with the steps in loweredposition, and the gate shown 111 open position. Fig. 2 1s a view similarto Fig. 1.

, showing the gate in closed position and the steps in upper or foldedposition. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, on line m 00 Fig. 2,looking in the direction indicated by the arrow. Fig. 4 is a verticalsectional view on line ar -m Fig. 2, looking in the direction of thearrow, showing the steps in folded position, and the gate closed. Fig. 5is a vertical sectional View, on line 00 a1 all residing at.

Fig. 1, showing the steps in lowered position, and the gate open. Fig. 6is a sectional view on line m -w Fig. 4, looking in the direction of thearrow. Fig. 7 is a fragmental View, showing a modified form of operatingmeans for the step.

1 designates a car, 2 the platform of the car, and 3 a gate adapted tomove between guide rails 4 on the car platform across the entrance 5 ofthe car. The platform 2 at the entrance 5 of the car is cut away adistance back from the side line or side of the car 6, as indicated at7. At each side of the cut away portion 7 of the platform 2, aresecured, in any suitable manner, side hangers or step supports 8, theouter line 9 or front of each hanger 8 forms a continuation of the sideline of the car. Pivotally mounted at 10 to each side hanger 8 is anupper step or tread 11, and pivotally mounted at 12 to each side hanger8, is a lower step or tread 13. On the outer side of one step support 8is an operating bar 14 and a guiding-bar 15 is placed on the outer sideof the other step support 8, each bar 14 and 15 is provided with a slot16 which engages a pin 17 on the adjacent step support 8. Each bar 14and 15 is also provided with a slot 18 which engages a pin 19 on theupper step 11, which pin 19 extends through a curved slot 20 in theadjacent step support 8. At each end of the lower step 13, near thefront edge thereof, is a pin 21 which extends laterally therefrom, andis engaged in a perforation 22 in the lower end of the adjacent bars 14and 15 respectively.

The operating bar 14 is provided with an upward extension 25havingmo-unted thereon a pair of grooved rollers or pulleys 26 whichengage therebetween a Trail or cam track 27, provided with a flange 28secured in any suitable manner to the outside of the gate 3. The camtrack 27 is secured to the gate 3 in a diagonal position, the lowestportion of the cam track 27 being at the forward end of the gate, andthe upper or highest portion of the cam track 27 being at the inner endof the gate. Secured to the upright 30 of the car is a pair of guideplates 31 which extend over the operating bar 14, preventingdisplacement of the operating bar.

The device above described is operated in the following manner: In theposition shown in Fig. 1, the steps are shown in lowered or operativeposition, and the gate 3 shown in open position. As the gate 3 is pushedforward to close the entrance of the car, the grooved pulleys 26 rideupward along the cam track 27, thereby raising the operatlng bar 14,which being in engagement with the pin 21 on the lower step 13 swingsthe step or tread 13 on its pivot 12 into upper or folded position shownin Fig.4. At the same time, the pin 19 on the upper step 11 being seatedin the lower end of the slot 18 of the operating bar 14, is raisedupwardly causing the step 11 to move about the pivot 10 thereof into theupper or folded position shown in Fig. 4, the action of the gate inclosing, and the folding of the steps into the upper or closed position,taking place simultaneously. The guiding bar 15 is secured to the lowerstep by pin 21 and is also engaged by a pin 19 on the upper step 11, sothat upon the operation of the steps in either direction by theoperating bar 14, the bar 15 operates with the same movement as the bar14 and insures that the ends of the steps connected thereto rise andlower in unison with the ends of the steps attached to the bar 14. WVhenthe steps are in lowered position, the pins 19 on the step 11 areresting on the lower end of the slots 20 in the step supports 8 andagainst the upper end 1 of the slots 18 in the operating bar 14 andguiding bar 15, thereby preventing lower movement of the bars 14 and 15and steps 11 and 13.

As shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing, the front of the upper step 11 whenin lowered position, is substantially flush with the side line of thecar and the front edge of the step support 8. The lower step when inlowered position, as illustrated in the same figure, extends outwardlybeyond the side line of the car as clearly illustrated. Upon the stepsbeing raised to folded or inoperative position, the bottom of the lowerstep is substantially flush with the side line of the car and the stepsupport 8, a portion of the step supports 8 being cut away at 24 toclear the pins 21, and the upper step is wholly within the front linesof the step supports 8, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawing.

In the form shown in Fig. 7 an entrance closure is used, consisting of asingle bar 33 pivoted at 34 to the upright 30 and supported at its outerend by means of a stop 35. In this form the inner end of the bar ispivoted at 36 to the upper end of a link 37 pivoted at 38 to the upperend of the operating bar 14. In the form illustrated in Fig. 7 theupward movement of the outer end of the bar 33, opening the passagewayto the car, causes the inner end of the bar 33, link 37, and operatingbar 14 to move downwardly, thereby lowering the steps into the positionshown in Fig. 5. When it is de-' sired to close the entrance to the carand the outer end of the bar 33 is moved downwardly into position shownin Fig. 7, the link 37 and bar 14 are caused to move upwardly, therebyfolding the steps into inoperative position shown in Fig. 4 of thedrawing.

that we claim is:

1. Folding car steps comprising a pair of downwardly depending stepsupports, each having a slot therein, an upper and lower step betweensaid supports pivoted thereto, an operating bar on one of said stepsupports having a slot therein, a pin at the forward edge of the upperstep extending through said slot in the step support into the slot inthe operating bar, a pin at the forward edge of the lower step engagedby the operating bar, and means for raising and lowering the operatingbar.

2. Incombination with a car platform, a pair of step supports, an upperand lower step between said supports pivoted thereto, an operating barfor raising and lowering the steps, a gate on the platform at the top ofsaid steps, and means on the gate for raising and lowering saidoperating bar.

3. In combination with a car platform, a pair of step supports, an upperand lower step pivoted to the step supports, an operating bar forraising and lowering the steps, grooved rollers on said operating bar, agate on the platform at the top of said steps, and a cam track on saidgate engaging said rollers on the operating bar to raise and lower theoperating bar by closing and shutting the gate respectively.

' 4. In combination with a car platform, a pair of step supports eachhaving a slot therein, an upper and lower step pivoted to the stepsupports, an operating bar at the side of one of the'step supports, aguiding bar at the side of the other step support, said operating barand guiding bar each having an upper and lower slot therein, a pin oneach step support engaging the up-' per slot in its associated bar, pinsat the forward edge of each step at each end thereof engaging itsassociated bar, the pins on the upper step extending through the slotsin the step supports into the lower slots in the bars, grooved rollerson said operating bar,

a gate on the platform at the top of said from said platform and havingtheir outer faces flush with the side of the car, a plural- In testimonywhereof, We have hereunto 10 ity of steps between said step supports pivset our hands at Los Angeles, California, oted thereto, one of saidsteps extending outthis 1st day of December, 1910,

Wardly beyond said step supports, an oper- EDWARD W. LEWIS. ating bar onone of said step supports con- GEORGE W. WRIGHT. nected to the forwardedge of each step, and GEORGE FRANCIS. means for raising said operatingbar to fold In presence of said steps Within the outer face of the stepFRANK L. A. GRAHAM,

supports. P. H. SHELTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

